The continuing development of ever more lethal and sophisticated homing heads relying on reception of the heat radiation emanated by motorized moving platforms (for example, aircraft, vehicles, armored vehicles, ships, etc.) highly endanger these transportation means that are exposed to the heat sensitive homing missiles, as all these means are inherently sources of radiated heat. Thus for example, surface to air missiles are by now a common threat.
In response to the formation and development of the dangers and threats described above, jamming systems and other systems, aimed at interfering and disrupting the homing head from its target and deflecting it away from its path, have also been developed and improved.
Thus, for example, some jamming systems installed in aircraft against ground to air missiles are known and operative. These systems may detect and locate in real time the launching of a missile from the ground—for example, relying on a thermal system that continuously scans the ground surface from the air, discovers the thermal signature of a missile being fired, and, as the targets themselves generate a typical IR radiation, they may activate against the incoming homing head, jamming means that are meant to deflect the missile from its path. For example, flares may be launched from the attacked target and may be scattered around the attacked target, so that the heat emanated from the target is said to “confuse” the homing head of the approaching missile and cause the missile to swerve from its original path, which originally led towards the heat radiated from the target engines.
Other examples, well known and recognized, are the “directional jamming systems”, for example, systems that activate a directional jamming means against the incoming missile, such as a laser beam or an intense light that aims to disrupt the homing head operation. Such systems are known as Direct IR Countermeasures (hereinafter “DIRCM”).
DIRCM systems based on aiming a laser beam towards the approaching missile, are described inter alia in U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,434 of Warm et al., and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,369,885 of Brown et al. The DIRCM systems known today are subject to many disadvantages that may result from the inherent constraints due to the platforms' limitations, namely space, weight, and environmental conditions dictated by the platform on which the system is installed. It is to be understood that the system is to continuously track the approaching missile, and is to quickly aim the radiated beam toward the approaching missile while the platform housing the beam generation source is itself moving, and may be located on a platform that may be neither steady nor stabile. In other words, the DIRCM system is often integrated in a closed structure that may be exposed to probably very unfavorable environmental conditions, that may be far from optimal for successfully carrying out the designated mission.
Thus, for example, integrating a DIRCM system in a platform such as an airliner, may require performing modifications of the airliner's body. For example, such modifications may include adding a movable turret somewhere outside its outer fuselage, so that it will be possible to deflect it sideways as well as change its elevation angles, for tracking threatening missiles aimed at the plane. Such a turret, for enabling monitoring of the approaching missile, may be subject to disturbances and constraints, such as the movement of the plane including change of course, shocks, vibrations, etc., making the optimal tracking maneuvers rather tedious if at all executable. Moreover, the confined quarters in a passenger aircraft may require a system with limiting packaging requirements, miniature devices and modules, and all this with minimum interference with the carrying out of the craft's original task: flying safely and efficiently.
DIRCM systems that are known today may implement solid-state lasers that require the beam to be transferred from the laser source via mechanic-optical cavities (i.e. elbows) with gimbaled mirrors. Naturally, such elements are complex and sensitive to shocks and vibrations, in such a way that may cause beam intensity and quality loses.
Thus, there is a need for a DIRCM system that may provide an easy and convenient installation approach, upon a myriad of different mobile platforms, e.g. aircraft, tank or ship etc. Such a system may be required to have the capability to exploit limited accessible and available free spaces in carrying platforms. Moreover, such systems may require dynamic assemblies with modules of minimal weight and volumes that may be moved in multiple directions in order to perform the required tracking of the approaching missile, to afford stabilized and accurate tracking of the missile. Such a DIRCM system may further be required to be a robust system designed so that its structure may contain a limited number of modules and components that are sensitive or susceptible to harsh environmental conditions.